27 April 2015

Irresponsible buyers who neglect their houses can be compounded.

27 April 2015

BY ELVINA FERNANDEZ

Published: 28 April 2015 7:03 AM

Many people are grabbing the opportunity to buy properties in Seremban, Negri Sembilan, because they are cheaper compared to those in cities like Kuala Lumpur.However, many of the buyers ended up not living in the houses they bought and also chose not to rent them out, resulting in the properties being neglected and turning into eyesores.

One such area that has many of these neglected properties is Bandar Seri Sendayan, about 16km from Seremban.

The empty homes have not only become breeding grounds for insects and reptiles but are also used by criminals to monitor the activities of residents in the area before breaking into their homes.
Following one such incident last November, when a group of robbers stayed overnight at a vacant property and broke into two houses in Taman Nusari Bayu 2, Bandar Seri Sendayan, the Seremban Municipal Council (MPS) has urged residents to report irresponsible house buyers who neglect their properties.

Its president Datuk Abd Halim Abd Latif said although there were no laws to restrict home owners from leaving their properties vacant, the council would penalise them if the properties were neglected.

"Yes, there are no laws to say a homeowner must either move in or rent out their houses," he told The Malaysian Insider.

“But this does not mean they can leave the property unkempt, posing danger to other residents in the housing area."

Halim said a notice would be issued to the owner to clear the house compound.

"If they failed to do so, a second notice will be issued," he said.

He added that if the second notice was also ignored, the council would send its officers to clean up the compound and bill the owner.

"If the owners continuously ignore our instruction to maintain their homes, we will issue a compound of RM250," he said.

Halim said the council had attended to about 30 complaints in a month.

Last year, a total of 294 homeowners were issued notices to clean up their home compounds.

The council cleared the compound of 272 of the housesl.

The total cost charged was RM26,019, with only 10 owners settling the bill amounting to a total of RM2,227.80

He said the public could call the hotline number 1-800-88-1515 to report any neglected property in their neighbourhoods.

A resident in Taman Nusari Bayu 2 in Bandar Seri Sendayan, who only wanted to be known as MK, was relieved that the council was taking action against owners who neglected their properties.

He said his house was broken into last year and he believed the thieves were hiding out in the vacant units. – April 28, 2015.

* If there are issues in your neighbourhood that you want to highlight, send the story and pictures to citynews@themalaysianinsider.com.

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